PHILADELPHIA, April 7, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Schoolchildren
who required surgery as infants for congenital heart disease (CHD) run a
significant risk of having problems with inattention and hyperactivity, and
often require remedial services in school. "These children are at risk for
academic and behavior problems, and our findings reinforce how important it
is to provide them with ongoing follow-up and neurodevelopmental
screening," said study leader Amanda J. Shillingford, M.D., a pediatric
cardiologist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
The researchers, who reported their findings in the April issue of
Pediatrics, studied a group of 109 children, aged five to 10, who had
undergone cardiac surgery for complex congenital heart disease at
Children's Hospital when they were newborns. Of that group, 53
children--nearly half of them--were receiving remedial services at school,
and 15 percent were in special education classrooms.
Based on questionnaire responses from their parents and teachers,
although the majority of the children with CHD scored in the normal range,
the rates of high-risk scores for inattention and hyperactivity were three
to four times greater than those found in the general population.
Previous studies at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and other
centers found that school-aged children with complex CHD tended to have
normal cognitive abilities but were at risk for problems in visual and
motor skills, as well as impairments in speech, language and executive
functioning (executive functioning refers to capacities for attention,
planning, decision-making and problem-solving).
Each year, over 10,000 newborns in the U.S. have CHD severe enough to
require surgery before they are one year of age. Advances in medical and
surgical treatments have steadily improved survival rates for even the most
complex conditions. One such condition is hypoplastic left heart syndrome,
in which a severely underdeveloped left ventricle is unable to pump enough
blood to the body. A series of three surgeries during the newborn and
infant period is needed to correct this heart defect. Children with this
and several other congenital heart conditions were included in the study.
"As survival rates have improved," said Shillingford, "the important
longer-term issue is quality of life for patients and their families as
they reach school age and beyond. We hope our findings will help raise
awareness among parents, teachers and physicians about the children's risk
of neurodevelopmental problems," Shillingford added that a next step for
researchers is to conduct larger, multicenter studies, with more formalized
diagnostic tools, and to develop formalized follow-up protocols for these
children. Such follow-up programs are currently being designed at
Children's Hospital.
Shillingford's co-authors, all from The Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia, are Gil Wernovsky, M.D.; Marianne M. Glanzman, M.D.; Richard
F. Ittenbach, Ph.D.; Robert J. Clancy, M.D.; and J. William Gaynor, M.D.
About The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: The Children's Hospital
of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric
hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional
patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare
professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's
Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children
worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the
country, ranking third in National Institutes of Health funding. In
addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have
brought the 430-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children
and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.
SOURCE The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
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Related links:
http://www.chop.edu
CONTACT:
John Ascenzi of Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia, +1-267-426-6055, Ascenzi@email.chop.edu
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